Gage for button-sewing machines.



W. L. BARRON. GAGE FOR BUTTON SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.15, 1911.

Patented July 29, 1913.

A TTOR/VEY WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"WILLIAM L. cannon, or new 2031:, n. in, Assrcnoa TQ 'rnn smcnnMANUFACTUR- rno COMPANY, a coaromrron or new :rnnsnr.

emu ron nUrron-snwmc macnmns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Application filed September 15, 1911. Serial No. 649,569.

To all whom, it may concern:

therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement 'inbutton-fastening machines,and more partieularly to that c ass of machines compris ingstitch-forming mechanism mcludm a "reciprocating needle and button-holdng means constructed to present for the actionof the stitch-formingmechanism that class of buttons having a shank integral with the headwith a transverse aperture parallel with the latter, such as are knownto the trade as self-shank buttons.

The invention has for its object to provide a gage independent of thebutton-holding means and adapted to be shifted into and out of operativerelation therewith to gage the position of the eye of a button sustainedby sai holding means in operative relation with the needle.

In its preferred form, the improvement comprises a swinging arm orcarrier mounted upon a fixed fulcrum and having journa-ledv in its outerend an end-wise movable spring-retracted gage-pin disposed substantiallyparallel with the needle and adapted to be shifted laterally into andout of operative relation with the button-holder and to be depressed toenter the eye of a button within said holder when correctl positionedto. receive the fastening stitc es, the holder being provided withadjusting means for properly locating the button. An adjustable stop isprovided for determining the operative position of the gage-pin carryingarm so as to insure the correct positioning of the gage-pin fordifferent de' cos of relative jog between the button-ho der and theneedle whereby the usual overseam fastenstitches are produced.

. in v the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 -thewellilmown the UnitedStates is a perspective view of a portion of a sewing machine bed-platewith the jo ging work-clamp and reciprocating need e-bar and needle of abutton sewing machine of er type, as disclosed in p aten't to-J. J.-Sullivan No. 777,564, dated 13, 1904;,81111 provided with a button-gageembodying the present improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of said parts,upon a larger scale, and with the bed-plate omitted. Fig; 3 is an underside view of a portion of the buttomholder. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the buttongage detached from the machine, and Fig. 5 a similar viewof the spring-arm for controlling t-he gage-pin.

The present improvement is represented in connection with thebutton-holder forming the subject of my application Serial No. 636,173,filed June 30, 1911.

Sustained upon the sewing machine bedplate 1 is the laterally joggingslide-bar 2 carrying upon its rearward end the block 3 and havingsecured to its forward end the work-supporting plate 1. constituting thelower member of the work-holder. Journaled in the block 3 for slightvertical movement is the upper work-clamp arm 5 formed with thebackwardly oflset forward portion 6 terminating in the button-holdersustaining plate 7, and pressed normally downward with the transversebutton-clamp jaw 12,

the adjacent operative extremities of these parts being divergentlybeveled to 'alfordbutton-head seats 13. Each ofthe jaws 12 is embracedby a U-shaped spring whose rearward limb 14: is secured thereto by meansof the fastening screw 15 while the forward limb 16 rests upon'the'outerface of the member 12 and overlies the buttonhead seat 13, so as toproduce in conjunction therewith one of the separable parts of thebutton-head cavity which is disposed in angular relatior'i with the faceof the worksupporting plate and parallel with the path ofreciprocationofthe needle 17 carried by I the rectilinear-1y reciprocating needle-bar18.

The plamp-levers 11 are provided with depending pins 19 entering thedivergently arranged cam-slots 20 of a guide-plate 21 secured to theslide-block 22 which is fitted- W1l3h1n a suitable guide-channel in thebot tom of the sustaining plate 7 and is.nor-- y d wn forward to forcethe button- P l t gether by means of the spring 110 23 having one endattached to the studscrew 24 passing through the longitudinal slot 25 ofthe plate 7 and tapped into the slide-block 22, while the other end ofsuch spring is connected with the post 26 secured in the plate 7 Thescrew 27, also tapped nto the slide-block 22 and working in theguideslot 25, serves, in conjunction with the studscrew 24, to retainthe slide-block 22 1n operative relation with the sustaining plate 7.The position of the cam-plate 21, and hence the spacing apart of thebutton-clamp jaws 13, is determined by means of the stop lever 28,fulcrumed upon the screw-pin 29 and adapted to be clamped adj ustably 1nposition by means of the thumb-screw 30 entering its segmental slot 31,and against the edge of which stop-lever the stud-screw 24 normallyrests under the action of the spring 23. By loosening the thumb-screw30, the stop-lever 28 may obviously be shifted todetermine the spacingapart of the relatively inclined button-engaging aws 13 to insure thepositioning of the button w1th its eye in reglster with the needle.

The buttons of the class which the present button-holder is designed toaccommodate are usually formed with somewhat tapering shanks, so thatthe'relatively inclined button-engaging jaws present ,to suchbuttonshanks seats whose spacing apart evidently determines the positionof the button relatively to the needle; but even with buttons havingcylindrical shanks the holding jaws are so shaped as to engage thebutton-heads in such manner as to correspondingly position the buttonsfor the fastening operation.

As represented in Fig. 2, the work-supporting plate 4 is provided at theside of its needle-aperture opposite the button-holding jaws 13 with arectangularblock 32 formed in the adjacent edge with a projection 33having a needle clearance notch 34, and overlying the block 32 is theresser-foot 35 secured by means of the-fastening screw 36 to thebutton-holder sustaining plate 7.

The block 32 and presser-foot 35 are omitted from Fig. 1 in, order toexpose more fully the button-holding and positioning j awsand the buttonsustained thereby in operative relation with the stitch-formingmechanism and the button-gage. Normally overlying the button-head cavityis the operative outer end portion 37 of the laterally swingingbutton-detaining arm 38 mounted upon the clamp-arm extension 6. Securedupon the bed-plate 1 by means of the fastening screws 39 is thefulcrum-plate. 40 carrying the screw-stud 41 upon which is fulcrumed theswinging gage-carrying arm or carrier 42 having in its outer end thebearing yoke I 43 sustaining the endwise movable gagepin 44 having thehead 45 and journaled in an aperture in the lower member of said yokeand m a sinnlar aperturem a bearing plate 46 secured upon the uppermember of the yoke by meansof the screw 47 Secured upon the gage-pinintermediate the spaced bearing members of the yoke 43 is a collar 48formed with a notch 49 to receive the notched outer end portion 50 ofthe springarm 51 secured upon the arm or carrier 42 by means of thescrew 52. Secured to the forward edge of the fulcrum-plate 40 by meansof a screw 53 entering a; longitudinal slot 54 therein is a stop-plate55 formed at one end with the upwardly-projecting stoplug 56 adapted toengage the foot of the carrier-arm 42 when. thrown forwardly to bringits gage-pin in operative relation with the button-holding jaws. Byloosening the screw 53, the stop-lug 56 may be adjusted to arrest theforward movement of the carrier-arm 42 in register with the position ofthe button-eye when suitably held for passage of the needle in theproduction of the fastening stitches. carries at the opposite edge fromthe stoplug- 56 a stop-pin 57 adapted to engage-the foot of thecarrier-arm to limit its backward movement into inoperative position, as

represented in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In the use of the machine, the jogging mechanism for the button-holderis adjusted to produce the required throw for production of the desiredlength offastening stitch, after which the carrier-arm 42 is moved intoThe fulcrum-plate 40 its operative position as represented in full linesin Fig. 2 to bring its gage-pin 44 a corresponding distance in front ofthe needle. The stop-plate 55 is then adjusted to bring its stop-lug 56into operative engagement with the foot of the carrier-lever 42 toinsure the arrest of the latter in the same position in its subsequent,movements into operativeposition from retracted position. A button isthen inserted in the buttoncavity with its head a intermediate theclamp-spring arms 16. and the outer portions of the jaws 12 and with itsslightly tapered shank b in engagement with the inner extremities of theclamp-jaws. If, upon depression of the gage-pin 44 from the dotted lineposition to the, full line position represented in Fig. 1 the point ofthe pin enters theeye 0 of the button accurately, the gage isthen'ret-racted into the inoperative position represented in dottedlines in Fig. 2, but if-the button-eye is not so p0sitioned, thei'elation of the button-jaws .12

is adjusted by shifting the stop-lever 28 so that the button-eye ispresented precisely in register with the gage-pin, after which the gageis retracted and the machine is in adjustment for attaching successivelya series of buttons of the same size and shape. In changing to anothersize or pattern of button, it is merely necessary .to shift thebutton-gage into operative position and to adjust the clamp-jaws suitablfor bringing the button-eye in register therewith, the lateral joggingmovement of the clamp caus- 'ing the needle to descend alternatelybeyond the end of the button-shank and then through the button-eye.

While the button-jaws are not held in position by positivemeans, butmerely by the action of the Spring 23 which maintains the stud-screw 24yieldingly in contact with the stop-lever 28, in practice the springarms16 have sul'n'cient elasticity to enable them to yield for differentsizes and shapes of button-head'before the jaws 12 could be forced apartby the insertion of a button into the button-cavity, so that the jaws 12in practice retain their positions of adjustment as determined bythestop-lever 28.

While the present improvement is designed more particularly for use inconnection with integral-shank buttons with transverse eyes, it isevidently adapted, with such modification as would be obvious to thoseskilled in such matters, for use in connection with the attachment offlat buttons having eyes passing through their body portions.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:

1. The combination with stitch-forming mechanism including areciprocating needle, and a button-holder adapted to receive lateraljogging movements relatively to said needle and provided with jawsformed with divergently arranged button-engaging faces eachsubstantially parallel with the needle,

and adapted for positioning and holding a shank-button to receive fastestitches, of a. button-gage movable in the direction of said joggingmovements a range wholly at one side of the needle into and out ofregister with the shank of a button held by said jaws, and means foradjustingthe button-holding jaws toward and from each other to positionthe button-shank relatively to the needle.

2. The, combination with stitch-forming mechanism including areciprocating needle, and a button-holder ovided withbuttonengaging'jaws for positioning and holding a button, of abutton-gage comprising a rigidly sustained carrier adapted to move andconfined to movement wlthin a plane transverse to the needle anda-gage-pin sustained by and against lateral movement rel-.

ative to said carrier and movable endwise in a direction transverse tothat of said carr1er.

3. The combination with stitch-forming mechanism including areciprocating needle, and a button-holder provided with buttonengagingjaws for positioning and holding a button, of a carrier movablerelatively to thebutton-engaging jaws, and an endwise movable gage-pinjournaled therein substantially parallel with the needle and adapted tobe shifted into and out of operative relation with the button-engagingjaws.

4. The combination with stitch-forming mechanism including areciprocating needle, and a button-holder provided with buttonengagingjaws for positioning and holding a button, of a carrier movablerelatively to the button-engaging jaws, and an endwise movablespring-retracted gage pin journaled therein substantially parallel withthe needle and adapted to be shifted into and out of operative relationwith the buttonengaging aws.

5. The combination with stitch-forming I mechanism including areciprocating needle, and a button-holder provided with buttonengagingjaws for positioning and holding a button, of a carriermovable-relatively to the button-engaging jaws, an adjustable stop fordetermining the operative position of said carrier, and an endwisemovable gage-pin journaled in said carrier substantially parallel withthe needle and adapted to be shifted into and out of operative relationwith the button-engaging jaws.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM L BARRON.

HENRI A. KOBJNEHANN, Jr.

